DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709100008

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B10  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial 

                                            LENGTH:   49 lines

SAT SCORES A DISMAL SHOWING

There is precious little good news to be gleaned from this year's SAT scores by local high school students. Those uniformly disappointing numbers were released last week.

Just three of the 26 high schools in South Hampton Roads managed to best the national SAT average. That means that 23 - or 88 percent - were below the national average of 1016. (A perfect SAT score would be 1600.) Half of the schools saw their scores drop, some by double-digit numbers.

One can only imagine how unenthusiastic business owners would be about relocating to Hampton Roads after studying the region's lackluster performance on this all-important standardized test. Newcomers to the area would have the impression that they must choose between living in school districts with mostly mediocre schools or just plain bad ones. Potential employers may question area workers' aptitude for high-tech jobs based on these scores.

Virginia Beach educators can take some measure of consolation in the knowledge that all three of the top-performing schools are within its boundaries. But even there, the good news is tempered by a drop in scores at First Colonial High School where average scores fell 31 points this year.

Even Cox High School, which led the region, saw only a two-point gain in scores. And Kempsville High School had just a five-point rise.

At the other end of the spectrum, Norfolk's Norview and Booker T. Washington high schools and Portsmouth's Wilson emerged as the area's three worst-performing schools, tied for last place with SAT scores of 826. Even more disappointing, all three saw scores decline, and Wilson's scores dropped by a relatively large 33 points.

Even the school with the greatest point gain - Chesapeake's Oscar Smith - jumped from only 869 to an unimpressive 911 points.

There are those who disparage standardized tests, but the fact remains that the SAT score is one of a handful of factors deciding college admissions. Many a good student with a poor SAT showing has had to forfeit dreams of attending an elite college or university.

We do not believe SAT scores to be the only or even the best way to evaluate the quality of education schools are providing. But SATs are an excellent way to gauge how our students measure up nationally.

Unfortunately, not well.

State and local educators and politicians should regard these scores as a call to action. Causes for the poor showing must be identified and plans for improvement drafted. Parents should ask, ``How can we help?''

The future of our children and this region's competitive prospects are at stake.

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